Mills for rolling steel include large back-up rolls which support smaller rolls which are used to reduce the thickness of steel during a rolling operation. The back-up rolls may include tapered journal portions which mate with tapered journal sleeves which act as a bearing for the back-up rolls.
A number of prior art arrangements have been used to position a journal sleeve or bearing in place on a tapered journal. The prior art arrangements include a split clamp, a locking nut, locking plate, locking key and a bayonet type lock. However, due to the large forces during rolling which tend to drive the journal sleeve off the tapered roll journal, these prior art arrangements have not been completely satisfactory and on occasion have failed in service. Such failure can be costly due to breakdown of equipment and lost production time.